December 8, 2011
You may think that with all the travel I do, which is just about every week of the year, that I am a fearless traveler who treks dauntlessly throughout the world. That’s not always the case. Not at all.
Sometimes I just want to hibernate in my hotel room because there’s discomfort on the other side of the door. I may feel perfectly safe and at home within the walls of my hotel but don’t want to venture out into the streets where the culture is different; the foods are mysterious and the words are not understood.
Yes, hard to believe that I can have these anxious feelings, but I do. Have you ever felt the same?
What I’m not going to let happen though is for this initial anxiousness to ruin a visit to somewhere that I’m sure must be wonderful, or why would I have traveled there?
My tried-and-true ways to squash the unease are these:
- Head out the hotel door and start walking (ask the hotel front desk or concierge about the safety of their hotel vicinity). Once I walk a few blocks and start to enjoy the store fronts, peak at a few restaurant menus and see friendly-looking faces, I already feel 100% better. On my first walk, I usually keep to one or two streets so that I can be confident that I can make my way back to the hotel.
- Make a pact on where I’m going to eat. I’ll say to myself “I’m going to walk two blocks and then eat at the very first restaurant I see after that point.” This has been a wonderful way to try restaurants and foods that I normally would have passed right on by without making such a definitive pact. Oh, I might have my 2nd thoughts at first, but a pact is a pact and this approach at swallowing my fear ball has never let me down – and I’ve enjoyed really wonderful foods. (A pact may need to be broken if the appointed restaurant only serves scorpions and cicadas, as my friend Pat encountered in Beijing since a fundamental rule of mine is NO BUGS!)
- Take a ride on a hop-on, hop-off bus if the city offers such a service to explore its highlights. At first I’ll plan on riding the full circuit without getting off, just to get the lay of the land. Though with 100% certainly, I always jump off at a stop that just looks too good to pass up, even knowing I could come back later. Hop-on, hop-off boats are also great! Here’s a great place to start to see if there’s such a tour where you’ll be visiting.
By now, my anxiousness has turned into excitement and I’m off and running! My pre-arranged plans, talks with the hotel concierge, chats with Twitter or Facebook friends and TripAdvisor recommendations for Things to Do (here’s my list from Singapore) and now I’ve got too much to do in too little time. Fear ball conquered!
What are your tips for moving from A to B (anxiety to bravery)?
To receive a free copy of our ebook, 70 Secrets to Safe Travel — Because Your Life Can Change in a Heartbeat, and for more travel savvy info to help you travel smarter, safer and with more enjoyment, visit SmartWomenTravelers.com and PearlsofTravelWisdom.com. Watch for my new book, Business Travel Success – How to Reduce Stress, Be More Productive and Travel with Confidence, being published by Morgan James in early 2012.
Posted by Carol Margolis under Favorite Cities and Towns, New Travelers, Places to See; Things to Do |
June 20, 2011
Like to journal your travels but don’t want the weight of the journal? I like to write in a travel journal to keep track of where I’ve been, who I met, where I stayed and ate and anything else of interest. But I often do not want to carry the travel journal with me due to the added weight. When I leave it at home, I instead buy a few postcards and make my notes on the back of these. I slip these into my journal when I get home.
To receive a free copy of our ebook, 70 Secrets to Safe Travel — Because Your Life Can Change in a Heartbeat, and for more travel savvy info to help you travel smarter, safer and with more enjoyment, visit SmartWomenTravelers.com and PearlsofTravelWisdom.com.
Posted by Carol Margolis under New Travelers, Pearls of Travel Fun, Random Thoughts |
June 17, 2011
The decision to travel with pets is one that should take into consideration the various airline rules and regulations for pet travel. There are also certain basic tips to help make travel with pets easier for them and for you.
Basic Tips for Pet Travel
The most basic first step to preparing to travel with pets is to first make sure your pet is comfortable spending time in a pet carrier. All airlines require the use of an approved carrier, and the carrier will also make your pet more comfortable being away from home. Both your pet and its carrier need to be well marked with secure ID tags that include your name, your pets name, your address and all emergency contact phone numbers. It is also advisable to attach a photo of your pet to the carrier as well as carrying one with you at all times.
Many airlines prefer carriers that are approved by the International Air Transport Association (IATA). It may be a wise investment, especially if you do a lot of flight travel with your cat or dog, to purchase a carrier that is approved by IATA.
If you are on business travel, be sure to schedule extra time into your travel plans so that you are not feeling rushed. Travel with dog and travel with cat requires extra time and patience; feeling rushed to get to your first meeting of your business travel by a certain time will leave both you and your pet feeling anxious and under undue stress.
Read more of this article »
Posted by Carol Margolis under New Travelers, Travel |
April 27, 2011
Free Passport Reminder Service: ItsEasy.com offers a free passport renewal reminder, which can help travelers avoid showing up at the airport or border with an expired or soon to expire passport. Register on their website and receive a renewal reminder via email nine months prior to your passport expiration date. This service is especially useful for families with children, since kids’ passports expire every five years (as opposed to 10 years for adults).They also provide expedited passport processing.
Posted by Carol Margolis under New Travelers, Travel |
April 20, 2011
I have a renewed perspective on my busy travel life after this encounter.
I was at my bank the other day opening an account. The financial services advisor I was working with was asking about my business. She asked about the t-shirt I was wearing. “Is that your business?” she asked, pointing to the logo on my shirt. “Yes,” I replied, “Smart Women Travelers is one of my businesses.”
Then came the barrage of questions: What do you do, where do you travel, and what’s your favorite place?
As I kept answering her questions: I help travelers travel smarter, safer and with more enjoyment; I travel all over the world; the Greek Islands are my favorite place, I could see that my new account was going to take longer than I hoped to get set up.
Then she said the words you may also have heard before: “Wow, you really have the dream job!”
My initial thought was “Are you kidding? – I traveled all or part of 50 weeks last year!”
But I didn’t react out loud. I thought about it while she was busy filling out the endless bank forms.
The downsides can be many. I miss:
Read more of this article »
Posted by Carol Margolis under Favorite Cities and Towns, New Travelers, Random Thoughts, Travel |
April 12, 2011
Want to lessen your packing time? Here’s a smart way to arrange your closet that will significantly cut down on the time spent selecting which clothes and jewelry to bring along. Add your tips for smart packing advice in the comment section below.
To receive a free copy of our ebook, 70 Secrets to Safe Travel — Because Your Life Can Change in a Heartbeat, and for more travel savvy info to help you travel smarter, safer and with more enjoyment, visit SmartWomenTravelers.com and PearlsofTravelWisdom.com.
Posted by Carol Margolis under New Travelers, Travel |
August 23, 2010
Carol offers up her top safety tips in her new video.
Posted by Carol Margolis under Hotel Living, New Travelers, Radio/TV/Media appearances, Safety |
February 24, 2010
Ever wonder how the skills learned from travel could help qualify you for a new career? Here’s a idea of the myriad of skills that we travelers have.
Resume of a Frequent Traveler on Smart Women Travelers.
Posted by Carol Margolis under New Travelers |
January 14, 2010
Yesterday, I spoke about the four most irritating aspects of business travel and gave tips on how to overcome the first two, Flight Delays and Being Away From Loved Ones. Today, I look at a few tips I’ve picked up along the way to take care of number three and four. Read more of this article »
Posted by Carol Margolis under New Travelers, Random Thoughts, Travel |
January 13, 2010
According to a survey published in USA Today, what irks business travelers’ the most when they are on the road are:
* Flight delays 51%
* Being away from loved ones 33%
* Not getting a restful sleep 30%
* Airport security 27%
The USA Today survey was taken before the Christmas Day 2009 ‘underwear bomber’ incident, so airport security may rate a lot higher now, but the overall pet peeves will probably remain the same.
Our own survey taken at SmartWomenTravelers.com showed similar complaints; balancing home with work and travel as women’s biggest complaint and flight delays as the next highest travel issue.
What are some ways to help alleviate these pet peeves so you can enjoy your journey more? Read more of this article »
Posted by Carol Margolis under New Travelers, Random Thoughts, Travel |
December 23, 2009
It’s always fun to plan future travel. Coming up with an idea of where to go and what to do AND have everyone agree can often be a challenge. Here’s a tool that determines your travel personality and can recommend appropriate travel choices – the Plog Travel Personality Quiz located at www.besttripchoices.com.
The Plog Travel Personality Quiz was developed by Dr. Stanley C. Plog who received his doctorate from Harvard University. The concepts are scientifically validated and based on 40 years of continuous research involving over 250,000 people who have taken the quiz. I think you will find the quiz interesting and fun and you may also learn something about yourself. There are six different categories of travelers and you’ll be given your results immediately after answering a quick 15 questions.
Read more of this article »
Posted by Carol Margolis under Games, New Travelers, Pearls of Travel Fun |
